What is it about?
Ex-gay conversion therapy is a dangerous practice that, although denounced by medical and scientific organizations, is still used by some religious groups in the hopes of changing people’s sexual orientation. As a contribution to the political work of activists who have tried to ban conversion therapy, some filmmakers have produced stories that challenge the teachings of ex-gay ministries and show how harmful they are. This essay examines four such films, demonstrating how they combat the anti-gay agenda of the ex-gay movement, and how they take differing approaches to negotiating the relationship between queer identities and Christianity.
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Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash
Why is it important?
This project shows how cinematic storytelling can be used as a creative form of advocacy/activism in support of LGBTQ people, and how specific rhetorical strategies can either limit or expand possibilities for those who identify as both queer and Christian.
Perspectives
I hope this essay will encourage people to think about the role that cinematic storytelling can play in larger social and political debates. I also hope it will enable readers to consider the potential harms of social movement rhetorics that pit one group against another without allowing for the possibility of overlap between those groups (in this case LGBTQ people and Christians).
David Coon
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: God vs. gay: Queer counter-storytelling and Christianity in films about conversion therapy, Queer Studies in Media & Popular Culture, September 2022, Intellect,
DOI: 10.1386/qsmpc_00078_1.
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